GFP Founder Akua Donkor is dead

The Founder and Flagbearer of the Ghana Freedom Party, Akua Donkor has reportedly passed away at Ridge Hospital in Accra.

The details surrounding her death remain unclear, and Ghanaians are encouraged to extend their condolences to her family during this challenging time.

Known for her fervent political activism, Akua Donkor was celebrated for her dedication to advocating for the rights of women and farmers.

Profile of Akua Donkor

Akua Donkor was born in February 1952 in the Afigya Kwabre District of the Ashanti Region in Ghana. A cocoa farmer by trade, she has no known formal education.

Donkor was elected as an assemblywoman for Herman, which she viewed as a step toward her ambition of becoming the president of Ghana. Her presidential aspirations became evident in the 2012 elections when she sought to run as an independent candidate but was disqualified by the Electoral Commission for failing to meet their requirements. Although she disagreed with this decision, she chose not to challenge it in court and later supported Papa Kwesi Ndoum of the Progressive People’s Party. Her party, the Ghana Freedom Party, faced another disqualification from the 2016 elections. Despite her electoral setbacks, Donkor insists on being addressed as Her Excellency, a title typically reserved for the president. In January 2016, a fire destroyed the headquarters of her party in Kabu, Eastern Region, which she characterized as a test of her resolve to achieve her presidential goal.

In 2020, Donkor became one of three women cleared to run in the presidential elections, finishing fifth among twelve candidates.

For the 2024 elections, she announced Mr. Kwabena Agyeman Appiah Kubi, known as Roman Fada, as her running mate. Donkor successfully filed her nomination and was listed third on the ballot.

Recently, she threatened to sue John Mahama, the NDC’s presidential candidate, over derogatory remarks about her qualifications made during an Inter Party Advisory Committee meeting in Accra on October 15, 2024.

Donkor promises free education from primary to secondary levels, the elimination of import taxes to facilitate trade, and the establishment of a free trade zone at the port of Tema to attract businesses. She believes these goals can be achieved through the effective management of Ghana’s resources, including gold, cocoa, shea butter, and salt. Donkor advocates for Ghana to refine its own oil, arguing that it is illogical for an oil-producing nation to import refined oil. She cites Muammar Gaddafi of Libya as her political inspiration, envisioning Ghana as a leader alongside North African countries. Additionally, she emphasizes the importance of electing the first female president, asserting that women have the potential to drive transformation in the country.